2. I deal with blood donors. Probably the best people to deal with as far as

customer service goes. You don't tend to have them coming in looking to make trouble for anyone. By default they are great people. None of the other retail or wholesale jobs I've had can compare to it. Those jobs stressed customer service. You had to kiss peoples asses even when they deserved to be grabbed by the hair and flung out the door!

3. Recently,

I went to our local Wallyworld (a decision I did not make lightly, as I do not routinely shop there) to buy my dog some food (MUCH cheaper there, by almost $6). I typically get a few cans of Pedigree to mix with his dry food, but on this visit, I discovered that most of the cans were badly dented, AND the cans had been stocked inside of their boxes, with almost no clearance inside each shelf to pull cans out for purchase. I asked a passing clerk to send the manager over.

A VERY young man arrived (it took him about eight minutes to respond), and I started to tell him why I had wanted to see him. He looked down to his left and started picking up bags of dog food off the floor to put on the appropriate shelf! I stopped talking immediately. When he realized I was silently watching him moving the sacks of dogfood, he stopped and looked at me. I asked him, "Do you think I could have your respectful attention while I talk to you?" He turned beet red, and became very attentive.

This young man asserted that it's Wallyworld's policy not to shelve dented cans (yeah, right), and that whoever stocked these cans of dog food was supposed to remove the front of the boxes, so that customers could easily remove cans from the shelves. He apologized for my "inconvenience" and said that he would 'talk to' the stocker.

I have decided that the 40 cents per can of Pedigree and the almost $5.00 per bag of dog food is not adequate savings to compel me to step foot inside that store again.

and the products are nutritionally better than name brands like Pedigree (avoid products with corn as a main ingredient). The customers enjoy a much higher level of service and knowledge about pets and products for pets. Try the local small store once and see how they compete with the big boxes.

8. I'm learning

to explore ALL my options, including buying online.

Frankly, I think we are now very close to global economic collapse--as we watch with bated breath the propagandists' relentless efforts to assure us that this is just a recession, and that we're slowly recovering.

This, I think, is what scares the corporate megalomaniacs most: the likelihood that their obscene wealth (on paper) will dissipate like so much morning mist in the face of the rising sun.

5. Dented pet food cans are commonly stocked at Wal-Mart.

the upside is, when our town's Animal Control person notices them, she asks that they be donated to the City Shelter, knowing that dented cans are NOT to be sold.
The downside?
She does this once a week.

9. Perhaps, it's time for me

10. She also gives the pet food to people who cannot afford much.

We live in a small town, everybody knows the "Animal Lady".
She makes the rounds of all 3 grocery stores, gets any torn bag dry food, any dented animal food, some goes to the shleter, some goes to people she knows who have little money and need help feeding their pets, some goes to people who are fostering animals, which I have done several times.
For some reason, she brings me critters who need bottle feeding..a wee kitten she found stuck in a wall, ( we kept him) a wee puppy found on a highway,!!!! etc.
Our newest cat wandered into the house, he was a year old, have no idea where he came from,
I got a voucher from the shelter to have him neutered, because as a stray, he would/could have been under the care of the shelter in the first place, I just saved them the trouble of taking him in before I adopted him, if you follow the logic.
And we have raised abandoned baby birds..Mr. D. does that very well.
We volunteer the time, shelter provides the food if needed.

6. Well I don't know what area your store is in but when I worked at WalMart a few years

back I always made it a point to help the customer. I remember once working in the card section making sure the area was stocked. I remember this old couple come up and they were looking for a graduation card for the grandkid. Graduation had already passed but I told him there was another area that had some cards and about that time the old man's pants fell and he was standing there and he quickly pulled them up and his wife was so upset and I did my best not to act like I saw it. I told them to wait there and I would go check where they had stuff on sale. So I left and was walking back and when I got there to look I just started laughing to myself. I just couldn't let him know I saw him. After I got myself together I went back and told them they didn't have any left. They thanked me and they left. My husband works there and he doesn't let himself get upset. He tries to help the customer and when they want him to do something that he can't do and they get upset with him he tells the customer sorry I'll get a manager for you. He can make that decision not him. The only thing that gets him upset is when he sees the teenagers running around in the wagons. He tells them to get out in his best teacher voice. They do. But believe me here in this store an employee can get fired if he runs after someone who is stealing. WalMart is so afraid of being sued.